February 2012
6 posts
11 tags
The Killer Coaster
In 2010 a roller coaster was designed with the goal of killing its passenger. It was made into a scale model by Julijonas Urbonas who stated that the goal of the ride is to take lives “with elegance and euphoria.” Below are further details taken from the Wikipedia page along with the source link.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia_Coaster
Design:
The design starts...
10 tags
Busta Reptar Rhymes
In Rugrats the movie, Reptar was voiced by Bust Rhymes
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptar
12 tags
The Wolphin
A Wholphin or Wolphin is a rare hybrid, born from a mating of a female Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with a male False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens). The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin, although taxonomically, both are within the “oceanic dolphin” family, which is within the “toothed whale” suborder. Although they have been reported to exist in...
14 tags
Dave Grohl the Heartbreaker
Dave Grohl turned down drumming for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to eventually form the Foo Fighters:
“Following Cobain’s death in April 1994, Grohl retreated, unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. In October 1994, Grohl scheduled studio time, again at Robert Lang’s Studio, and quickly recorded a fifteen-track demo. With the exception of a single guitar part on...
12 tags
Kingpin Turkey
Bill Murray really bowled three strikes in a row in the scene where his character, Ernie McCracken does the same. The crowd’s reaction is genuine and is actually for Murray. Woody Harrelson, on the other hand, was a terrible bowler and according to the Farrelly brothers maybe got one or two strikes throughout the filming.
Source:...
11 tags
TRON Snubbed for "Cheating"
The below is in regards to the original TRON movie released in 1982
In the year it was released, the Motion Picture Academy refused to nominate Tron for a special-effects award because, according to director Steven Lisberger, “The Academy thought we cheated by using computers”. The film did, however, earn Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Costume Design and Best Sound...
January 2012
6 posts
9 tags
First Names
Muhammad is the most common first name in the world.
8 tags
Florida vs England
The state of Florida is bigger than England.
10 tags
You spin me right round
Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge which is opposite of how a record works.
11 tags
This is SPARTA!!
At the height of its power (400 BC) the Greek city of Sparta had 500,000 slaves and only 25,000 citizens.
8 tags
100k
The average person’s scalp has 100,000 hairs.
7 tags
That Smell...
A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth up to 7 miles away.
October 2011
1 post
12 tags
What?!? Y'oh-kay. Let's go make some wine!
Rapper Lil Jon, is apparently joining the long list of celebrities with a wine project. The Little Jonathan Winery is the new project from Lil Jon. Given his tastes in jewels and style these bottles look incredibly restrained. No word on pricing yet or where the wines are sourced but he’s starting with a 2005 Merlot and a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
September 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Prohibition in Iceland
Prohibition in Iceland went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until March 1, 1989 (since celebrated as “Beer Day”). The ban had originally prohibited all alcohol, but from 1935 onward only applied to “strong” beer (with an alcohol content of 2.25% or more). In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favor of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, going into effect...
11 tags
Delicious Mistake
The creation of chocolate chip cookies was actually a mistake, a delicious mistake…
The inventor - or creator - of the chocolate chip cookie was Ruth Wakefield. In 1924, Ruth Wakefield after graduating from Framingham State Normal School’s Department of Household Arts, she lectured on food and worked as a dietitian. After marrying, she and her husband bought a tourist lodge (bed...
November 2010
2 posts
5 tags
Backward Traveler
Egyptians called Mars the “the backward traveler” because Mars appeared to move backwards through the zodiac every 25.7 months.
6 tags
Time Together
Due to jobs, kids, TV, the Internet, hobbies, and home and family responsibilities, the average married couple spends just four minutes a day alone together.
October 2010
3 posts
9 tags
Killer Flu
The Spanish flu killed more Americans in one year than the combined total who died in battle during WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
7 tags
Opening Day
On the day the Roman Colosseum officially opened, 5,000 animals were killed. During its history, it has been estimated that over 500,000 people and over a million animals were killed there.
8 tags
Junk Food and Glue
Corn dextrin, a common thickener used in junk food, is also the glue on envelopes and postage stamps.
September 2010
5 posts
6 tags
The First Bathing Suits
In the late 1800s, the first bathing suits appeared and consisted of padded bloomer pants made from wool or flannel, topped off with a knee-length dress, black wool stockings, shoes, and ruffled hats. The heavy fabric made it almost impossible to swim.
7 tags
Salty
Salt is the most common seasoning mentioned in the Bible. Salt was a vital mineral that was not only essential to life, but also preserved other foods critical for survival. Salt was so important that it was also often used as a form of currency or as a unit of exchange.
8 tags
Some Like It Cold
The average temperature on Mars is -81° F and can range from -205° F in the winter to 72° F in the summer.
7 tags
Insane in the Opera Brain
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) wrote one of opera’s most famous insanity scenes in Lucia di Lammermoor (1835), based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor. He himself later went mad due to syphilis and spent the last years of his life in an insane asylum.
5 tags
What Wife??
When Martin Van Buren wrote his autobiography after serving as president from 1837-1841, he didn’t mention his wife of 12 years. Not even once.
August 2010
13 posts
6 tags
Secondhand Smoke
In the United States, over 3,000 deaths per year from lung cancer in nonsmokers are due to secondhand smoke.
6 tags
Lead Poisoning
Romans discovered that mixing lead with wine not only helped preserve wine, but also gave it a sweet taste and succulent texture. Chronic lead poisoning has often been cited as one of the causes of the decline of Rome.
4 tags
Science of Kissing
The science of kissing is called philematology.
10 tags
You are a Bug Eater
In the United States, it is estimated that every adult unconsciously consumes one pound of insects each year due to garden produce, poor restaurant and home hygiene, and commercial foods for which the USDA allows a certain amount of insect fragments. Peanut butter, for example, is allowed to have 30 insect fragments per 100 grams.
5 tags
Suicidal Tendencies
In America, someone attempts suicide once every minute, and someone completes a suicide once every 17 minutes. Throughout the world, approximately 2,000 people kill themselves each day.
5 tags
Vitamin Groupings
Vitamins are grouped according to their solubility in either fat or water. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble, meaning they need fat to be absorbed into the body and can be stored in the body. Vitamin B complexes and Vitamin C are water soluble and, because they cannot be stored in the body, they must be replaced every day.
12 tags
Massive Eruption
The 1883 eruption of the Krakatau volcano in Indonesia is thought to have released 200 megatons of energy, the equivalent of 15,000 nuclear bombs. Even though the island was uninhabited, the eruption killed 36,000 people as the result of burning ash showers and huge tsunamis. It generated the loudest sound historically reported.
8 tags
Rubbing Beaches
Off the Pacific coast of British Columbia, killer whales often come to “rubbing beaches”—shallow bays lined with smooth rocks. The whales rub their bodies against the rocks, and scientists believe the action may be for no other reason than the sheer pleasure of it.
8 tags
Mariner 9
On November 14, 1971, the United States’ Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit Mars (or any other planet). After a massive dust storm cleared, Mariner 9 began transmitting nearly 73,000 images and revealing enormous volcanoes, huge canyons, frozen underground water in the form of permafrost, and what appeared to be dried-up river beds.
6 tags
The First Shark Attack
The first written account of a shark attack is found in Herodotus’ (c. 484–425 B.C.) description of hordes of “monsters” devouring the shipwrecked sailors of the Persian fleet.
6 tags
Shark Category
Sharks belong to a group of fish known as the elasmobranchs, or cartilaginous fishes.
6 tags
Hammerheads are Softies
Hammerhead sharks’ heads are soft at birth so they won’t jam the mothers’ birth canals.
10 tags
Women Power
The first female governor of a U.S. state was Wyoming governor Nellie Tayloe Ross, elected in 1924. Wyoming was also the first state to give women the right to vote, enacting women’s suffrage in 1869.
July 2010
11 posts
9 tags
Vampire Legends
Vampire legends may have been based on Vlad of Walachia, also known as Vlad the Impaler (c. 1431-1476). He had a habit of nailing hats to people’s heads, skinning them alive, and impaling them on upright stakes. He also liked to dip bread into the blood of his enemies and eat it. His name, Vlad, means son of the dragon or Dracula, who has been identified as the ...
8 tags
Shark Vomit
When a shark eats food that it can’t digest (like a turtle shell or tin can), it can vomit by thrusting its stomach out its mouth then pulling it back in.
7 tags
Solar Energy
100,000,000,000 tons of dynamite would have to be detonated every second to match the energy produced by the sun.
5 tags
Garlic Protection
Garlic, a traditional vampire repellent, has been used as a form of protection for over 2,000 years. The ancient Egyptians believed garlic was a gift from God. In several cultures, brides carried garlic under their clothes for protection, and cloves of garlic were used to protect people from a wide range of illnesses. Modern-day scientists found that the oil in...
6 tags
Opening Day
On the day the Roman Colosseum officially opened, 5,000 animals were killed. During its history, it has been estimated that over 500,000 people and over a million animals were killed there.
7 tags
Death of a Gladiator
To die honorably, the defeated Roman gladiator would grasp the thigh of his victor who would then hold his opponent’s head or helmet and plunge a sword in his neck. To make sure the gladiator was not faking his death, an attendant dressed as Mercury would touch him with a hot iron rod and another attendant dressed as Charon would hit him with a mallet.
7 tags
Going to the Chapel and Getting Married
The superstition that the bridegroom must not see his bride before the wedding stems from the days when marriages were arranged and the groom might never have seen the bride. There was the chance that if he saw her, he might bolt. Other sources say that to see the bride in her dress is peering into the future, which can bring bad luck.
8 tags
Black Tuesday
On “Black Tuesday,” October 29, 1929, the market lost $14 billion, making the loss for that week an astounding $30 billion. This was ten times more than the annual federal budget and far more than the U.S. had spent in WWI. Thirty billion dollars would be equivalent to $377,587,032,770.41 today.
5 tags
Cut Spock from Star Trek?
Initially, NBC asked Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to get rid of the “guy with the pointy ears” partly because they were worried about his “satanic” appearance. Luckily, Roddenberry refused to cut Spock.
4 tags
The Banana Tree?
The banana tree is not a true fruit at all but a giant herb and the banana is actually its berry. A banana plant produces only one bunch or “hand” in its life, but that bunch may have between 100 to 400 bananas. Despite its phallic shape, the banana is sterile and no fertilization takes place in the banana flowers. A banana plant grows when one of its shoots is planted.
3 tags
Shakespeare's Lineage Ended
Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, died in 1596. His daughter Susanna died in 1649. His younger daughter Judith had three children, but all died before their mother and without children. His granddaughter Elizabeth, daughter of Susanna, died childless in 1670, ending the William Shakespeare line.
March 2010
3 posts
3 tags
Before Christianity, methods of repelling vampires included garlic, hawthorn branches, rowan trees (later used to make crosses), scattering of seeds, fire, decapitation with a gravedigger spade, salt (associated with preservation and purity), iron, bells, a rooster’s crow, peppermint, running water, and burying a suspected vampire at a crossroads. It was also not unusual for a corpse to be buried...